Which cute seal is the star of a new commercial for Dawn dishwashing liquid, filmed in part at the Center’s hospital in Sausalito?

July 16, 2013

Video courtesy: Jackie Adams

As you can see from the video above, CeCe was the star of the show over the weekend as she and her other harbor seal buddies - Chocolate Chip, Ripley, Little Bear and Teacup- made a steady path to the ocean. With nearly 100 human onlookers cheering her on from a safe distance, CeCe made her way into the cold waters at Drake's Beach in Point Reyes and never looked back!

You can see more of CeCe starting today through Dawn's new online documentary series called The Big Picture! Check out the series at www.dawnsaveswildlife.com and find out how everyone has the power to make a difference for wildlife. You can also learn more about the Dawn Saves Wildlife campaign here!

An adorable harbor seal pup named CeCe has become the surprise star of a new Dawn dishwashing liquid commercial that is currently showing across the nation. You may have seen it already during one of your favorite shows. It can also be viewed from YouTube: just click on the video below to watch CeCe close the show.

CeCe was rescued in early May, shortly before the commercial was shot, because she was found alone and shivering on a beach in Mendocino. Somehow she had been prematurely separated from her mother and would have died if volunteers from The Marine Mammal Center had not rescued her.

Newborn harbor seals are very dependent on their mothers for the first four weeks of their life. If they become separated from their mothers during this critical period, they have almost no chance of survival, unless, like CeCe, they are rescued. While pups can swim from the time they are born, they spend a lot of time resting on beaches where they can be inadvertently disturbed by beachgoers and dogs.

Well-meaning beachgoers sometimes pick up a harbor seal they think is in distress because they don’t see the mother near by. This results in pups being permanently separated from their mothers. Please call our rescue hotline (415-289-SEAL) if you see a harbor seal alone on a beach and never pick one up.

When CeCe arrived at the Center’s hospital in Sausalito, she weighed just 14.5 lbs which is significantly below the 20 to 24 lbs harbor seal pups normally weigh at birth. But thanks to lots of fish, paid for by our supporters, and supportive care from our volunteers and veterinary staff, she has gained a whopping 27.5 lbs in just 7 weeks and is improving rapidly.

Her recovery is going well and soon our “seal-lebrity” may be released to live the life of a wild seal in her ocean home.